SEOUL, Jan 18: Lee Jae-yong, heir to Samsung Electronics, and its de facto head since 2014, has been sentenced again to 30 months in jail in the bribery scandal of several years of court proceedings and convictions. The case involved former President Park Geun-hye, who had been in jail for long for bribery and corruption.

The court's verdict said, Samsung vice-chairman Lee "actively provided bribes and implicitly asked the President to use her power to help his smooth succession."

Earlier, the Supreme Court last Thursday upheld the former President's 20-year prison sentence in her 2018 bribery conviction. Park was the first female President. She was also impeached. She is the daughter of former dictator Park Chung-hee.

The corruption scandal has been going on for several years and has now finally come to an end.

Worth $10 billion, the South Korean business magnate is the son and successor of Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, who died last year. He is referred to as 'Crown Prince of Samsung'.

Lee was first jailed in 2017 for his role in the corruption scandal that toppled the former President. Lee, 52, was accused of offering payments to a friend of the former President, Choi Soon-sil, to win support for his formal succession at the corporation.

If the period Lee has already served in jail is counted, the new sentence may get reduced to 18 months to be served.

Shares of Samsung Electronics fell 3.4% after the sentencing. Leaderless, Samsung will have to struggle to move ahead as the competition in the field of mobiles has intensified.